Better Living Without Bending
by Kyatto no Edo
Summary: Zuko and Iroh are living and working in Ba Sing Se. However, the former prince still won't allow himself to give up on capturing the Avatar. Could two strange bounty hunters from the Fire Nation be his key to restoring his place as Prince?


Better Living Without Bending

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Chapter I: First Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its copyrighted characters. This story is pure fanfiction and no money is made off this. Any characters in this story that have not/do not appear in the series are my own creation and intend to stay that way. They are only used for story development and not for romantic purposes.

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It had been a few weeks since he and his uncle had settled in Ba Sing Se. Serving tea wasn't the best of jobs however it was what kept a roof over their heads and bread in their stomachs. Zuko knew this, which is why he seldom complained. What kept him going was the hope for something more the same hope that drove man of the other refugees. Even though he was a banished prince, Zuko was still somewhat grateful for what he had, because he had seen others who were less fortunate. He had his life, a job, and his uncle. What more could he possibly expect?

The Avatar is what still kept him going. Now that he knew the coward was alive and out there he still had hope that by capturing him he could return to the life he once knew. He thought that by bringing the Avatar before his father he would be returned to his rightful place as the next Fire Lord. Even now, that he was nothing more than an average refugee, no more royalty than the beggars in the street, he still held tightly onto that strand of hope and refused to let go. His uncle tried time and time again to encourage him to accept his knew life and diminish all thoughts about the Avatar. He knew his uncle was right in some respect, but his heart told him he couldn't give up. A part of him still wanted to be the prince he once was and be the light in his father's eyes.

With the coming of the season, business at the shop was booming. Before they had few new customers and only the regulars. Now that word had spread about Iroh's magnificent tea, people were coming from all over to get a cup. It got to the point where Zuko would rather be out in the wilderness running from Azula than stuck in the grimy shop, shuffling cup after cup to haughty customers. Iroh was quite pleased, however, and the better business frequented their evening conversations.

"I'm telling you, nephew, the spirits have blessed us with this job!" the former general crowed as he locked the shop door for the night. "I've never felt so fulfilled with my life!"

Zuko scoffed. "Right, nothing's more fulfilling than spending your days making tea of all things." He wiped down a wooden table with a white silk cloth, muttering to himself.

"Why are you not content, Prince Zuko? We have everything we'll ever need!" Iroh looked at his nephew questioningly.

"You may be perfectly happy with this rinky-dink job…" the teen slammed his fist on the table. "But I'm not! Can't you see I want something more with my life? This, this…shop business…is peasants' work!"

"Zuko! You need to relax! We can't go back! Accept your life now for what it is!" The boy's uncle placed a hand on his shoulder in an act of nurturing and warning.

Zuko jabbed his elbow back, knocking the old man away from him. "I don't want to! I can't! There has to be something more!" He untied the strap holding his apron, pulled it off, and tossed it in his uncle's face. Grunting, he stormed out of the room up to their apartment. A hard slam was heard.

"Oh, prince Zuko…You always have to learn things the hard way, don't you?" Iroh sighed as he poured himself a cup of tea and took a long sip.

The next day was slightly calmer than the one before. Since his little outburst, the former prince was much quieter and hardly spoke a word to his uncle. He knew he had been out of line, and was grateful his uncle hadn't done anything harsh about it. If it had been his father, there would be a matching scar adorning his other eye. Iroh knew Zuko's silence meant he was contemplating his actions, and understood how he felt. He didn't question it, and just let the boy go about his business.

That afternoon the door opened and two new faces came in. One, a woman, was slightly taller than her partner- a young man. They had large packs on their back and must've been on a long journey. Sighing with relief they released their burdens and sat down at a small table towards the rear of the shop. The woman had a broad face with a narrow chin and a pointed nose. Her eyes were slanted, sleek and cat-like, very sly and suspicious. No one seemed to notice the bright gold color. Her partner also had a broad face, but his chin was squared. His eyes were wide and trembling, as if he was always unsure of himself. They too were golden just like the woman's. The female's hair was dark brown, shaggy bangs hung in her eyes and framed her face, the longer part in back held up with a red ribbon. She wore a short dress made from a dark orange pelt with black stripes, the kind of thing a hunter would wear. The man had black hair, his bangs too were shaggy and framed his face, but they were longer and went passed his chin. The longer part of his hair went down to his hips and was woven in a tight braid. He wore a faded dark red robe that looked worn from travel. As suspicious as they were, it was odd that no one took notice.

"I know he's here brother, I can feel it…" The woman whispered as she twirled a finger in her hair. A broad grin played across her lips.

"You say that at every point we stop at, Nana. Every time it turns out we're one step behind him." The young man sighed, shaking his head.

Zuko approached the two casually, like he would any other customer. "You ready to order?"

"Give us a minute," the girl called Nana replied, barely acknowledging his presence. She reached into a mahogany colored sack and pulled out a rolled up parchment. She then spread it out and used a teacup to hold it in place.

The young man eyed Zuko nervously, and then cast a glance back at his sister. "Um, I'd like some Jasmine tea…" he whispered, barely even audible.

"Shh! Pay attention Rai! This is important business!" the woman's voice was harsh as she jabbed her finger at a colored dot on the parchment. "According to the woman on the ferry, he arrived here in Ba Sing Se only a few weeks ago! He couldn't possibly have left by now! We've got him this time for sure!"

Arching a brow, Zuko placed the order in with his uncle, still keeping an eye on the awkward pair. Who were they talking about?

"I know, sister, I was there." The man referred to as Rai replied. "But is this really the best place to talk about this? It's a tea shop for cripes sake! Who knows who could be listening?"

"Like anyone would care. I know for a fact we're not the only people of the Fire Nation who crossed the borders. Those guards are too blind to care. It's not like we're here for the war or anything anyway. We've got our own agenda…" Nana told him, folding her hands on the table.

"Capturing the Avatar…" Rai murmured. "The Fire Lord would pay us plenty and we can restore our father's honor…"

"Exactly," the woman grinned.

Zuko returned with cups filled with tea. Had he heard what he thought he just heard? They were Fire Nation and after the Avatar too! As angered as he felt by the realization that there were others out to do his mission for him, he also knew that these two could be of some help. They were obviously good at what they were doing if they could sneak into Ba Sing Se without being questioned. Their clothing even screamed "Fire Nation". What were the guards thinking letting them in?

"I heard you mentioning the Avatar…" Zuko said quietly, sliding a cup to the woman.

"Yeah?" Nana furrowed her brows. "What of it?"

"Perhaps I could be of some assistance." He placed the other cup in front of the man.

"I told you not to talk about it here!" Rai hissed and buried his face in his hands. "Now he'll tell the Earth King and we'll be sent to jail!"

The young woman rolled her eyes. "Calm down, brother. He doesn't seem like the type to just rat us out for nothin'." She averted her gaze to Zuko. "What kind of assistance are you talking 'bout here? What could a scrawny punk like you possibly have that could help us?"

Zuko eyed the other customers and leaned in close. "Meet me outside the shop at night after closing. I can explain it all to you then…"

"What's in it for us?"

"I know more than I let on, that's all I'm going to say for now…"

Rai grabbed his sister's arm. "Don't listen to hi-"

"It's a deal," Nana grinned at the Fire Prince.

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Please review if you wish. More to come soon!


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